Improvement in car-couplings



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JAMES P. SINCLAIR, OF LITTLE PBAlRIE RONDE, MIOHhGAN.

IMPROVEMENT IN CAR-COUPLINGS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent he. 36,241, dated August 19, 1862.

sected in the line a: 0:, Fig. 1.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in the several figures. The object of this invention is to obtain a simple, economical, and efficient car-coupling, and one that will be sel f-acting-t'h at is to say,

' one that will engage itself by two cars coming in contact.

' The invention consists in the employment or use of two concave clasps pivoted to springs and fitted in the draw-head or bumper in connection with a vertical sliding'pin,all arranged as herein fully shown and described.

To enable those skilled in the art to fully understand and construct my invention, I will proceed to describe it.

A A represent two draw-heads or bumpers,

which are secured in the car-'frames in the usual manner; and B B are two springs,which are secured to each draw-head or bumber, one to each side. These springs are of curved form, as'shown clearly in Fig. 2, andto the w front end of each spring a concave clasp, G, is

secured by a pin or joint, a. The springsB B havea tendency to keep the clasps of' each bumper in contact, the two clasps forming a socket to receive one enclof thelinkorsh'ackle D, .Which' may be of the ordinary form. The form of the sockets when the elasps are in con tact approaches to a semi-pro1ate spheroid, wlth flaring or bell-shaped-ends, and the sockets are within the draw-heads at their outer end, as shown clearly in Figs. 1 and 2.

To the upper surface of each draw-head or bumber there is attached a. guide, E, in which a pin, F, is fitted vertically. The pins F,when raised, have their lower ends fitted in a conical recess, b, one-half ofwhich is made in the upper part of each clasp G, and, as the latter are kept in contact by the springs B B, the pins are sustained by the clasps, the reeesscsb preventing the pins being easually thrown out from the guides E. When-the pins F are thus supported and'the link or shackle D thrust into the socket, the clasps O are expanded or forced outward from each other on account of the springs B and the connection of the clasps thereto by the joints 0, and the pins F drop through the shackle and the bottom of the clasps, recesses -b being made in the lower edges of the latter similar-to those at the upper edges. Suitable holes are made in the upper and lower surfaces of the draw-heads for the pins to pass through. Thus by this very simple arrangement a self-acting car-coupling is obtained, for, if the shackle D be adjusted in one draw-head of the car, it will, on being thrust into the empty socket of an adjoining car by the movement of the former or the latter, or both, connect itself.

The pins F may beattached to the drawheads or bumbers by chains G.. By drawing up either pin F free from the-socket thesprings B close the clasps and the latter hold up the pins.

I do. not claim separately any of the parts herein shown and described; but

I do claim as new and desire to secure by Letters ]?atent'--- The concave clasps 0, connected by pivots or joints a to springs B B, attached to the draw-heads or bumpers A, in connection with the pins F and shackle D, all arranged as and for the purpose herein shown and described.

JAMES P. SINCLAIR. Witnesses:

E. S. PARKER, JOHN THOMPSON.-. 

